Looney Longbottom
by JonnyBravo
Summary: A matured Neville finds his soulmate in Luna. I think everyone knows that these characters are not my creations. All props out to J.K.!


_Looney Longbottom _a story by JonnyBravo

Dawn rose over the mountains and warmed the greenhouses like a magnifying glass. Hogwarts was silhouetted against the golden horizon as streams of sunlight pierced the castle turrets and windows. Neville Longbottom had been the new Herbology teacher for two years now but woke every morning as if it was his first day. The pride and excitement that he felt doing his job was second to none. If professor Sprout would have told Neville as a student, that he was to be the new Herbology Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he would never have believed her. As a youth, Neville was insecure and lived in the shadow of his father, Frank Longbottom. His father was a skilled Auror who, along with his wife Alice (also an Auror), were tortured into insanity by Belatrix LeStrange. Always a shy and clumsy boy, Neville had proficiency for forgetfulness and weak magical power as a student; although he showed courage beyond his years during his first and last year at Hogwarts. Neville's powers had matured along with his confidence during the battle of Hogwarts.

As Neville worked diligently through the morning in the sweltering glass roofed room, he noticed through the steamy windows that someone was walking towards the front door. He stood with his back to the door, pretending to still be working. The door opened with a slight creak and he could feel the weight of someone walking across the floor boards, albeit someone small. Slowly the person sneaked up behind him, approaching without making a sound. Neville felt a pair of small soft hands move across his waist and slowly pull him back towards the person.

"Headmistress McGonagall! Not here someone might see!" Neville said with false concern.

"Neville!" cried Luna Lovegood, "I'll give you Headmistress McGonagall!"

She turned him around to face her and kissed him lovingly.

"Does McGonagall kiss like that?" she questioned him.

"No," Neville said casually, "she's taller."

They laughed while hugging each other. Luna was also a professor at Hogwarts. She was appointed the Defense Against the Dark Arts position as well as head of Ravenclaw house. After the defeat of Voldemort in which Luna proved her worthiness as a warrior, she worked in Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic for a few years before she was approached about the position at Hogwarts. Oddly enough it was Harry Potter's refusal of the position which opened the opportunity for Luna. When Professor McGonagall approached Harry about the job he was already in Auror training and respectfully declined. He immediately thought of Luna. Her defensive skills and spell use were on par with any Auror, and her ability to keep a cool head in any situation was certainly an advantage. The few years she spent in the ministry helping to round up delinquent Death Eaters helped hone her skills and her intelligence was never a concern, she was after all a Ravenclaw. Ever since Luna started seeing Neville romantically she wanted to leave the Ministry and be closer to him so the new teaching position was perfect for her.

The new Professor Lovegood brought an in depth and intellectual approach to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She helped students reason and problem solve instead of just whipping out their wands and stupefying everything, her students became detectives and investigators in to the history of the dark arts. Within her young tenure as a teacher, her classes have developed two new defensive spells, one of which can block the cruciatis curse if done properly and the other is a rebounding charm which works on all hexes and jinxes. She is well respected by students and faculty alike.

Neville and Luna decided to take a walk down to the lake. It was warm and the sky was clear, much too beautiful a day to waste in a stuffy sweaty greenhouse. They sat by the water's edge looking out over the lake. The giant squid was splashing around and Dumbledore's tomb stood but fifty yards away, reflecting the sunlight like a mirror. Neville removed his robes and laid them on the lawn so they could lay back. Motionless and silent they laid there, holding hands and breathing in the cool breeze off the lake.

"Luna?" Neville started cautiously. "We have been dating for some time now and, I want to ask you something."

"Anything sweetie." She said, and slowly turned her head away from the sun and squinted in to Neville's eyes.

"Luna, uh, I uh, I want to uh," he could not get the words out. His heart was pounding against his chest and he was sweating. More than anything he did not want to mess this up, this was the most important thing he would ever do. They had been dating for almost two years. Neville knew from their first moment together that he would never desire another woman the way he does Luna. Her sincerity, her caring, and especially her total honesty at all times was the most attractive thing to him. Neville wanted Luna to be his wife. He wanted her to have their children and live the rest of their lives together.

Neville had approached his grandmother about the proposal first. She adored Luna and gave Neville her full approval. In fact, she gave him the same ring his father gave his mother. It was a beautiful goblin made silver ring with rubies and elaborately engraved with filigree. The Longbottoms are purebloods, they come from an ancient and respected line of witches and wizards and this ring could be traced back hundreds of years. Last Christmas Neville and his grandmother went to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to visit his parents. Neville asked if his grandmother would leave him alone with his mother and father for a moment. As Augusta Longbottom walked down the hall she glanced back and saw Neville place his head on his mother's chest. The usually steely exterior of Augusta cracked, and as she turned away her lips quivered and tears ran down her cheeks.

Alice Longbottom placed her hand on the top of Neville's head and slowly started stroking his hair. At the same moment he felt a hand on his shoulder and felt the firm comforting grip of his father. They couldn't speak, they couldn't communicate in anyway, somewhere deep inside of them, Neville's parents recognized him. He didn't know if it was the warmth of his mother's touch or the strength that still lingered in his father's hand, but Neville always believed they recognized him.

Neville raised his head and stared at his parent's faces. Their expressions were blank but he saw the slightest bit of a shudder in his mother's eye and a single tear slowly traced its way down her face.

"Mom, dad" Neville whispered. "I fell in love" and then he broke down. Neville cried like he had never cried before. Not even when he was old enough to understand what had happened to his parents, not even when he remembered seeing his parents for the first time ever, had he cried like this. Neville reached across the bed where his comatose parents lay and pulled the two of them together and embraced them as if he were saying goodbye.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me". His face buried between his mother and father, his words were only audible to himself.

"She's a wonderful girl and I want to bring her here to meet you two". He continued, but when he finally lifted his head to peer in to their eyes he was shocked. Although his parent's gaze was as vacant as ever both his mother's and father's eyes faces were wet with tears. He kissed the both of them and said goodbye, for now.

Neville was going to have his own family and he knew that meant devoting himself entirely to it. He was going to carry on the Longbottom name, he was going to protect and love his family as tirelessly as his parents did, and he was going to make his parents proud by being the best person, husband, and father he could be.

When his grandmother first approached him with his mother's wedding ring Neville refused to accept it. He felt it should stay with her, she was not dead and it shouldn't be passed on yet. But his grandmother convinced him, she said that if they were able they would offer the ring to him themselves, and he knew it was true.

Now lying on the warm grass looking in to his beloved Luna's eyes he found himself faltering and his confidence was waning. No! He said to himself, I am not going to let my life slip away from me! Neville sat up and pulled Luna up next to him by her arms.

"Luna," Neville began, with a growing confidence that truly exemplified the new Neville Longbottom.

"I knew from the first time I met you that I loved you, and that I will love you the rest of my life."

"You want marry me." Luna blurted, in such a finite matter of fact way.

"Will you mar… What?!" Neville cried.

"I will marry you Neville Longbottom!" Luna shouted as she threw herself in to his arms with tears filling her eyes.

"I wanted to ask you first" he said, squeezing her against him.

"Neville dear, it doesn't matter who says it first" she consoled him, "it just matters that we both want the same thing. Oh Neville, I love you more than anything!"

"I want to bring you to meet my parents". Neville said.

"I would love to meet them." Luna said softly, tears still lining her cheeks.

"And I know they would love to meet you". Neville said with such an air of pride he actually puffed himself up a little.


End file.
